Windshield molding for vehicles and the production method thereof

ABSTRACT

A windshield molding which drains rainwater smoothly through the rainwater groove provided at necessary sections and having different depth in the longitudinal direction for better drainage can be produced simply and continuously as a single molding without the addition of cutting or other processes.

This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 08/168,192,filed on Dec. 17, 1993, now abandoned, which is a Continuation-in-Partof application Ser. No. 08/030,066, filed Mar. 24, 1993, now abandoned,filed as PCT/JP 92/00395 on Mar. 30, 1992.

BACKGROUND ART

A windshield molding is generally installed along the periphery of thewindshield glass mounted in the window frame opening of a body panel. Tobe more precise, a long belt-shaped space is formed between theperiphery of the windshield glass and the edge of the window opening ofthe body panel, and a windshield molding of a long belt-shaped extrudedmaterial is inserted into said space for sealing. The windshield moldingconsists of a support leg, which is inserted in the above space, and adecorative portion, which covers the space from the outside.

Japanese Utility Model Gazette No. 54416/1982 and other background arthave proposed that such a windshield molding for vehicles should havegrooves to drain rainwater from the windshield glass. In this case, itis desirable to provide grooves only at the places where they are reallyrequired so as to avoid whistling sounds being created during vehiclemotion and to avoid the use of a more rigid material. Also, sincerainwater is forced to flow upward on the windshield glass when thevehicle is traveling, the lower end section area of the side moldingsection is able to be comparatively small. Therefore, Japanese UtilityModel Gazette No. 15044/1987 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-OpenPublication No. 31513/1984 stipulate that such a windshield moldingshould have a groove only in either the upper area or the lower area ofthe side molding section.

Grooves for the above utility models are made to have constant crosssections in their longitudinal direction. Therefore, they cannot conveyand drain rainwater effectively. Windshield molding with such groovescannot be formed in one piece with current extrusion molding technology.Namely, the groove must be formed by injection molding, but, in thiscase, the windshield molding should be composed of more than oneconnecting member. This requires larger injection molds and increasedman-hours, resulting in lower productivity. The above publications havenot disclosed how to form the groove.

The present invention intends to provide a vehicle windshield moldingwith good draining function and the production method thereof with asimple device.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

To attain the above purpose, the windshield molding for vehicles of thepresent invention comprises an upper molding section and a pair of sidemolding sections to be fitted along the periphery from the upper side toboth sides of the windshield glass fitted into the window frame openingof the body panel,

said windshield molding comprising; a support leg to be inserted into aspace between the periphery of said windshield glass and an inner edgeof the window frame opening of the body panel, a decorative portion tobe provided on the outside edge of the support leg to cover said spacefrom the outside, an enlarged thick section to be provided in saidsupport leg and a rainwater groove opening to the inner periphery of thewindshield molding,

wherein said decorative portion has a constant cross-sectional formthroughout the entire length of the windshield molding and is projectedoutwards apart from the windshield glass surface at least along the sidemolding section, and

said enlarged thick section is inserted into the space between thedecorative portion projected from the windshield glass surface and outersurface of the windshield glass, and said rainwater groove opening isprovided in the enlarged thick section of said support leg, the groovedepth being changed in the longitudinal direction of the windshieldmolding.

The production method of the windshield molding for vehicles of thepresent invention is to produce the upper molding section and the sidemolding sections which are installed along the periphery of thewindshield glass from the upper side to both sides by extrusion molding,wherein said molding is extruded by using dies having an opening forextrusion molding of the support leg to be inserted into the spacebetween the windshield glass and the window frame of the body panel andhaving another opening for extrusion molding of the decorative portionwhich covers the above-noted space from the outside, wherein the moldingis extruded by keeping the area of the extrusion opening on the said diefor the decorative portion constant all the time, wherein at least atthe time of producing the side molding section, the area of theextrusion opening on the said die for the support leg is increased toprovide the enlarged thick section between the outside surface of thewindshield glass and the decorative portion, wherein another die isinserted into the extended area section of the extrusion opening on thesaid die for the support leg at a specified timing to form the rainwatergroove on the side wall of the said enlarged thick section by partlyshielding it, and wherein the rainwater groove depth is changed bychanging the moving distance of the said other die during extrusion.

The above production method enables rainwater grooves to be providedonly at the places where they are required, to change groove depth inthe longitudinal direction to drain rainwater smoothly and to form thewhole windshield molding as a single product only by extruding withoutadding cutting and other processes.

Therefore, since the present invention is effective in providingrainwater grooves only at the places where they are required, inchanging the rainwater groove depth in the longitudinal direction toimprove the drainage of rainwater and in forming the whole windshieldmolding as a single product only by molding without adding cutting andother processes, it also enables the forming of windshield moldings withrainwater draining grooves of sufficient retaining function easily,satisfactorily and continuously.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an explanatory perspective view showing an automobile frontcontaining the windshield molding produced according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view showing the structure of thewindshield molding in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III--III shown inFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV--IV shown inFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V--V shown in FIG.3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI--VI shown inFIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII--VII shown inFIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII--VIII shownin FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory front view showing an example of the extruderfor the windshield moldings shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory front view showing the extruder of FIG. 9 in amoved state.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory front view showing the extruder of FIG. 9 in afurther moved state.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory front view showing the extruder of FIG. 9 in afurther moved state.

FIG. 13 shows the structure of the windshield molding in the secondembodiment of the present invention and is a cross-sectional viewsimilar to FIG. 3.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIV--XIV shown inFIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XV--XV shown inFIG. 13.

FIG. 16 shows another embodiment and includes an explanatory perspectiveview of a windshield molding.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the molding of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XVIII--XVIII in FIG.17.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIX--XIX in FIG. 17.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX--XX in FIG. 17.

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXI--XXI in FIG. 17.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXII--XXII in FIG.17.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XXIII--XXIII in FIG.17.

FIG. 24 is an explanatory front view showing an example of an extruder.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory front view showing the extruder of FIG. 24 isa moved state.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The following describes embodiments of the present invention accordingto the drawings:

As FIG. 1 shows, a windshield molding 2 composed of long belt-shapedextruded sealing members is installed along the periphery of thewindshield glass 11 of an automobile. This windshield molding 2 iscomposed of the upper molding section 2A which is installed in the spacebetween the upper edge of the above-mentioned windshield glass 11 andthe roof panel 12, the side molding sections 2C of which are installedin the space between both side edges of the windshield glass 11 and thepillar panel 13 and the curved corner molding sections 2B with which theupper molding section 2A and the side molding sections 2C are connected.However, these moldings, 2A, 2B and 2C, are formed continuously as asingle molding by extrusion as described later herein.

The windshield molding 2 in embodiment No. 1 shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 ismade of elastic material such as rubber, synthetic resin, etc. into along belt-shaped solid molding with the extruder described later herein,is provided with the support leg 22 which is inserted in the spacesbetween the periphery of the windshield glass 11 and both the roof panel12 and the front pillar 13 and is provided with the decorative portion21 which covers the above-mentioned space from the outside (the upperside of FIG. 3). The cross-sectional shape perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction, consisting of the decorative portion 21 and thesupport leg 22 is an approximate L shape.

A wire 23 of the core is buried in the connection of the support leg 22with the decorative portion 21. A lip-shaped portion 24 which holds theinside edge (the lower side) of the windshield glass 11 and an elasticlip 25 which extends to and is pressed to the walls of the body panels12 and 13 are provided on the inside edge (the lower side of FIG. 3) ofthe support leg 22 throughout the entire length, and another elastic lip26 is provided on the support leg 22 slightly outwards (the upper sideof FIG. 3) and almost in parallel with the above-mentioned elastic lip25.

The decorative portion 21 is the lip-shaped member extending from theoutside edge (i.e. the upper side of FIG. 3) of the support leg 22 tothe windshield glass 11 and covers the outer surface of the windshieldglass 11 from the outside. The decorative portion 21 is formed to have aconstant outer contour appearance at the outer surface throughout theentire length of the windshield molding.

The height of the support leg 22 from the inside edge to the outsideedge (the vertical direction in FIG. 3) is short on the upper moldingsection 2A but is slightly longer on the side molding section 2C. Thisis because the height difference between the outer surface of thewindshield glass 11 and that of the roof panel 12 is larger on the sidesections than on the upper section as described later herein, namely, asthe height difference changes, the height of the support leg 22 ischanged. The height is gradually increased from the corner moldingsection (see FIGS. 4 and 5) and reaches the maximum on the upper side ofthe side molding section (see FIG. 6), but the maximum height ismaintained to the lower area through the central area of the sidemolding section (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

At the portions where the height of the side molding section 2C isincreased on the side panels, the above-mentioned decorative portion isprojected apart from the outer surface of the windshield glass 11 by anamount corresponding to the height of the relevant support leg 22. Also,the enlarged thickened section 22a of the support leg 22 is insertedinto the space between the decorative portion 21 projected from theouter surface of the windshield glass 11 and the outer surface of thewindshield glass 11. Said enlarged thickened section 22a is the portionof the support leg enlarged to the inside of the molding, and thethickness in the direction from the outside to the inside (the verticaldirection in the figure) of the said enlarged thick section 22a ischanged by an amount corresponding to the height difference between theouter surface of the above-mentioned windshield glass 11 and the surfaceof the roof panel 12. As can be seen in FIG. 2, said enlarged thickenedsection 22a completely surrounds the upper and lower ends of therainwater groove and is substantially equal in terms of both height andthickness.

In other words, the above-mentioned enlarged thickened section 22a isnot provided on the upper molding section 2A where the height differenceis constant (see FIG. 3), the decorative portion 21 and the support leg22 which are equal in thickness and cross-sectional shape are providedthroughout the entire length of the upper molding section 2A. Then, thethickness in the direction from the outside to the inside of theenlarged thickened section 22a on the support leg 22 is increased alongthe corner molding section 2B especially from the halfway position tothe lower end 2D toward the side molding (see FIGS. 4 and 5) as theabove-mentioned height difference increases. The enlarged thickenedsection 22a in this section is integrated with the decorative portion21. Also, the thickness of the enlarged thickened section 22a isincreased to the maximum in the longitudinal upper area and theapproximate center area of the side molding section 2C (see FIGS. 6 and7) corresponding to the largest height difference. The maximum thicknessof the enlarged thick section 22a is kept constant on the side moldingsection from the center to the lower areas (See FIG. 8).

As mentioned above, the support leg 22 is provided with an enlargedthickened section 22a at the inside to correspond with the edge of thewindshield glass 11, and a rainwater groove 28 is provided along theinside wall of the enlarged thickened section 22a and is open to theinside. The rainwater groove 28 is provided from the midpoint of thecorner molding section 2B to the lower portion of the side moldingsection, its bottom being of almost triangular cross-sectional shape,and both walls are formed so as to be almost parallel at the opening.The depth of the rainwater groove 28 changes suitably along thelongitudinal axis of the molding.

The rainwater groove provided on the corner molding section 2B shown inFIGS. 4 and 5 is only the tip of the triangle, and the depth and widthof the rainwater groove 28 are gradually changed corresponding to thethickness of the above-mentioned enlarged thick section 22a. As FIGS. 6and 7 show, the rainwater groove 28 is widest in the center area of theside molding section where the enlarged thickened section 22a isthickest. The largest groove width on the side molding sectionmaintained for a certain length downward is reduced, and the rainwatergroove 28 peters out at the specified position.

The depth of the rainwater groove 28 is changed irrespective of theabove-mentioned groove width. The depth of the rainwater groove 28 isset to the maximum of α as shown in FIG. 6, at the upper portion of theside molding section. The width is maintained constant but the depth ischanged to β, as shown in FIG. 7, slightly shallower than the maximumdepth of α at a slightly lower position than the above-mentionedposition.

The rainwater groove 28 provided at the lower portion of the sidemolding section is only the tip of the triangle, and the depth and widthof the rainwater groove 28 is reduced as shown in FIG. 8 (Groove depth:γ).

The following discussion explains the structure on the body where thewindshield glass is set with the windshield molding 2. The inside edgeof the windshield glass opening is bent inwards in step form so as toaccept the windshield glass 11, and flanges, 12b and 13b, are providedwith bent walls, 12a and 13a. The height of the bent wall 12a along theupper molding section is uniform, but that of the bent wall 13a alongthe side molding section is gradually increased from the middle of thecorner molding section.

The windshield molding 2 is installed first on the periphery of thewindshield glass. At this time, the windshield glass 11 is set betweenthe lip-shaped portion 24 of the upper molding section 2A and thedecorative portion 21 along the upper edge and the corner edge of thewindshield glass 11 and is set between the lip-shaped portions 24 of theside molding sections 2C and the enlarged thick sections 22a of thesupport legs 22 along the side edges of the windshield glass 11. Thecorner molding section 2B is curved to the specified bending rate as thewindshield molding 2 is installed, but since the support leg 22 isthickened as described above, no wrinkles or other nonconformities willbe caused due to the difference in length of the inner and the outerbending circumferences.

On the other hand, a belt-like rubber dam 14 is adhered to the flanges12b and 13b on the above-mentioned body panels 12 and 13, and adhesiveis filled by extrusion around the outer periphery of the rubber dam 14.The inner side of the windshield glass 11 on which the windshieldmolding 2 is installed is pressed onto the above-mentioned rubber dam.As a result, the lip-shaped portion 24 of the windshield molding 2 isfixed with the adhesive 15, and the elastic lips 25 and 26 are bent andfixed to the bent walls 12a and 13a, respectively. The elastic reboundforce caused by bending the elastic lips 25 and 26 works as the fixingforce and the posture stabilizing force of the windshield molding 2.

The windshield glass 11 is thus fixed on the flanges 12b and 13b on thebody panels 12 and 13 at approximately the same height all around. Thethickness of the enlarged thickened section 22a of the support leg 22 isset according to the height difference created between the outer surfaceof the windshield glass 11 and the surface of the roof panel 12corresponding to the heights of the bent walls 12a and 13a. First, thereis scarcely any height difference on the upper molding section (see FIG.3) throughout the overall length, the decorative portion 21 and thesupport leg 22 are maintained with a uniform cross-sectional shape, andno enlarged thick section is formed on the support leg 22. A slightheight difference is provided on the corner molding section (see FIGS. 4and 5), and an enlarged thickened section 22a is provided on the supportleg 22 corresponding to the height difference. The thickness of theenlarged thickened section 22a is gradually increased toward the sidemolding section corresponding to the change in height difference. Theheight difference is gradually increased from the middle of the cornermolding section to the side molding section, and the maximum heightdifference is set in the upper and middle areas (see FIGS. 6 and 7) inthe longitudinal direction of the side molding section. The thickness ofthe enlarged thickened section 22a is set to the maximum amountcorresponding to the maximum height difference, and the thickness ismaintained constant through to the lower area of the side moldingsection (see FIG. 8).

In the case of the structure for installing the windshield glass 11 onthe vehicle body, rainwater falling on the windshield glass 11 runs overthe inner peripheral wall of the decorative portion 21 of the upper andthe corner molding sections 2A, 2B toward the roof panel and rainwatercollected at the side molding section is led through the rainwatergroove 28 provided in the enlarged thickened section 22a of the supportleg 22. At this time, the depth of the rainwater groove 28 is changed sothat the rainwater in the groove will flow smoothly and drain well.

The windshield molding 2 installed on the windshield molding 11 may beinserted into the window opening, or the windshield glass 11 insertedinto the window frame in advance and the windshield molding may beinserted into the space between the periphery of the windshield glass 11and the body panels 12 or 13.

The following discussion explains the device for forming theabove-mentioned windshield molding 2.

As FIGS. 9 to 12 show, the molding forming unit 3 is fitted with threedies for forming an opening for extruding synthetic resin. These diesare first die 31, second die 32 and third die 33 arranged in the moldingextruding direction (vertical direction on the paper). The first die isfixed and has an extrusion opening 34 to form the decorative portion 21,the support leg 22 and the elastic lip 26 of the windshield molding 2.The lower section of the extrusion open 34, equivalent to the lip-shapedportion 24 and the elastic lip 25 of the windshield molding 2, isprovided with a large rectangular opening including the above portions24 and 25.

The above-mentioned extrusion opening 34 comprising an extrusion opening341 for the decorative portion 21, an extrusion opening 342 for thesupport leg 22 and an extrusion opening 343 for the elastic lip 26. Theextrusion opening 341 is covered with a bow-shaped upper portion similarto the upper edge of the decorative portion of the windshield molding 2.In addition, the extrusion opening 342 is shaped like the enlarged thicksection 22a of the support leg 22 without the rainwater groove 28 and isconnected to the extrusion opening 341.

The second die 32 and third die 33 are made of plate and are supportedwith pairs of guides, 32a, 32a and 33a, 33a respectively so as to movein parallel with the front of the first die 31. The extrusion opening 35of the second die 32 is shaped so as to correspond to the lower portionof the support leg 22 of the windshield molding 2, the lip-shapedportion 24 and the elastic lip 25. In addition, dies 31 and 32 arealigned so that an open area provided at the upper side of the sectioncorresponding to the support leg 22 is connected to the sectioncorresponding to the enlarged thick section 22a in the extrusion opening34 of the first die 31. A connection rod 32b is provided at the loweredge of second die 32 and is connected to the drive motor 32c throughthe converter which converts rotary motion to linear motion. The drivingforce of the drive motor 32c reciprocates the second die 32 between themolding position of the upper molding section shown in FIG. 9 and themolding position of the side molding section shown in FIGS. 10 to 12.

The third die 33 is installed so as to reciprocate in the directionperpendicular to the second die 32, and the connecting rod 33b providedat the left end of the third die 33 is connected to the drive motor 33cthrough the converter which converts rotary motion to linear motion. Atriangular shielding lug 331 is formed at the right tip of third die 33so as to correspond to the rainwater groove 28 of the above-mentionedwindshield molding 2. The shielding 331 of the third die 33 ispositioned so as to enter the extrusion opening 341 of first die 31 andis designed to reciprocate in interlock with the reciprocating motion ofsecond die 32 as shown in FIGS. 9 to 12.

The following discussion explains the production method of thewindshield molding 2 with the above-mentioned molding extruder 3:

To produce the windshield molding 2, the upper molding section 2A, thecorner molding section 2B and the side molding section 2C are extrudedas a single molding, and it is produced in the order of side moldingsection 2C, corner molding section 2B, upper molding section 2A, anothercorner molding section 2B and another side molding section 2C.

When the side molding section 2C is extruded, first die 31 and seconddie 32 are held in a certain positional relation shown in each of FIGS.12, 11 and 10, and third die 33 is first brought to the withdrawalposition (see FIG. 9), and extrusion of the side molding 2C starts fromthe lower end (the right end portion in FIG. 3). At the same time ametal wire 23 is fed to the extrusion opening 34 of No. 1 die 31.

When the lower side section is extruded to a certain length in a certainsectional form, third die 33 advances slightly, and the shielding lug ofthird die 33 enter the extrusion opening 342 of first die 31 as shown inFIG. 12. The rainwater groove 28 starts to be formed by this in theenlarged thick section 22a, and the groove depth is gradually increasedas shown in FIGS. 12, 11 and 10 as third die 33 advances. At this time,it is possible to cut the extrusion material corresponding to therainwater groove 28 by a third die set apart from first die 31. When theextruder is in the state shown in FIG. 10, the rainwater groove 28reaches the maximum depth. The side molding section with the maximumgroove depth shown in FIG. 10 is extruded to a certain length.

When the forming position of the corner molding section 2B approaches,second die 31 is pushed upward, and third die 33 starts to withdrawcausing the extrusion opening 342 of first die 31 to reduce and thethickness of the enlarged thick section 22a to decrease. However,sections other than the enlarged thick section 22a maintain the samesectional form. At the same time, as third die 33 withdraws, the depthand width of the rainwater groove 28 both decrease in proportion to thethickness reduction of the enlarged thickened section 22a. At this time,third die 33 moves interlockingly with second die 32. When the cornermolding section 2B is completely extruded, second die 32 and third die33 reach the position shown in FIG. 9.

In other words, when the third die retreats and leaves the extrusionopening 342 of first die 31, the rainwater groove 28 is no longer formedin the enlarged thickened section 22a of the support leg 22, and thewhole extrusion opening is shaped so as to correspond with the sectionalform of the upper molding section 2A. Then, the upper molding section 2Astarts being extruded in a certain sectional form. When the uppermolding section 2A is extruded to a certain length, a corner moldingsection 2B and a side molding section 2C are formed in the reverse orderof the above, and the complete windshield molding 2 is produced.

In other embodiments of the windshield molding of the present inventionshown in FIGS. 13 to 15, the windshield molding is set with the fastener44 fixed on the roof panel 12 and the pillar panel 13. A belt-shapedrubber dam 54 is fixed on the flanges 12b and 13b of the body panels 12and 13. Adhesive 55 is filled by extrusion around the periphery of therubber dam 54, and the inner side face of the windshield glass 11 ispressed onto said rubber dam. The windshield glass is fixed on theflanges 12b and 13b of the body panels 12 and 13 at approximately equalheight.

The above fastener 44 has a locking groove in a U-shaped cross-sectionalform, and the external peripheral side wall composing said lockinggroove is fixed with the adhesive tape 45 along the bent walls 12a and13a of the body panels 12 and 13. The connection portion 42b at the tipof the support leg 42 of the windshield molding 4 is inserted in thelocking groove of the above fastener 44 to fix the windshield molding 4.

The decorative portion 41 which covers the space between the body panels12 and 13 and the windshield glass 11 from the outside is formed on theoutside edge of the above support leg 42 as a single molding. Thedecorative portion 41 and the support leg 42 shape the cross-sectionalform perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to an approximate tee.Also, a thin metal plate 43 is buried as core material near theconnection with the decorative portion 41 in the support leg 42.

The decorative portion 41 consists of a glass side decorative portion41a and a panel side decorative portion 41b which extend from theoutside edge of the support leg 42 (the upper end in FIG. 13) to thewindshield glass 11 and the body panels 12 and 13, respectively. Theglass side decorative portion 41a is composed of a lip-shaped memberwhich covers the outer surface of the windshield glass 11, and the panelside decorative portion 41b is composed of a lip-shaped member whichcontacts the outer surface of the body panel 12. The glass sidedecorative portion 41a and the panel side decorative portion 41b haveequal thicknesses and shapes respectively throughout the overall lengthof the windshield molding.

In this embodiment, as well as in the first embodiment, the heightdifference between the outer surface of the windshield glass 11 and theouter surface of the roof panel 12 is larger at the side molding sectionthan at the upper molding section, and the height of the support leg 42is gradually increased from the corner section based on the heightdifference. An enlarged thickened section 42a is provided to enlarge thesupport leg 42 inward at the place where the support leg height isincreased on the side molding section 4c. The enlarged thickened section42a of the support leg 42 is provided between the above glass sidedecorative portion 41a and the outer surface of the windshield glass 11,and the thickness in the direction from the inside to the outside (thevertical direction in the figure) of the enlarged thickened section 42ais changed corresponding to the height difference between the outersurface of the windshield glass 11 and the surface of the roof panel 12.

The enlarged thickened section 42a is not provided on the upper moldingsection 4A for which the height difference is kept constant (see FIG.13). and the decorative portion 41 and the support leg 42 of uniformthickness and cross section are provided throughout the overall lengthof the upper molding section 4A. The thickness from the inside to theoutside (in the vertical direction in the figure) of the enlargedthickened section 42a in the support leg 42 is increased along thecorner molding section from the middle to the lower end toward the sidemolding section as the above-mentioned height difference increases. Theenlarged thick end portion 42a in this area is integrated with the glassside decorative portion 41a. Also, the thickness of the enlarged thicksection 42a is maximum corresponding to the maximum height differencealong the side molding section 4c (see FIGS. 14 and 15), the maximumthickness being maintained to the lower end of the side molding section.

The enlarged thickened section 42a is provided inside the support legopposite the windshield glass 11, and the rainwater groove 48 isprovided facing the inner periphery along the thickest portion of theenlarged thickened section 42a. The rainwater groove 48 is shaped likethe letter "U" in its cross section and is provided along the sidemolding sections from the lower end of the corner molding section 4b tothe lower portion of the side molding section. The width of therainwater groove is constant in the longitudinal direction, but thedepth is suitably changed in the longitudinal direction of thewindshield molding.

In the upper portion of the side molding section shown in FIG. 14, thedepth of the rainwater groove is set to the maximum of δ, and in theportion slightly lower than the above-mentioned portion shown in FIG.15, the groove width is kept constant, but the groove depth is set to ε,slightly shallower than the maximum depth of δ.

In the case of such body side structure for fixing the windshield glass11, rainwater falling on the windshield glass is led to the inner wallof the windshield molding 4 and is drained to the specified portion.Rainwater on the windshield glass runs over the inner peripheral wall ofthe decorative portion 41 of the upper and the corner molding sections4A, 4b to the roof panel 12 and rainwater is collected at the sidemolding section 4C and is led along the rainwater groove 48 in theenlarged thickened section 44a of the support leg 42, the depth of therainwater groove being suitably changed to allow rainwater to flowsmoothly and drain properly through the groove.

As explained above, the present invention is as operative and effectiveeven in the second embodiment as in each of the above embodiments. It isalso possible even in this embodiment to insert the windshield molding 4combined with the windshield glass 11 into the window frame or to firstinsert the windshield glass 11 into the window frame and to insert thesupport leg of the windshield molding in the space between the peripheryof the windshield glass 11 and the body panels 12 and 13.

Also, the windshield moldings mentioned in each of the above embodimentsare applicable not only to the windshield glass but also to rear windowglass and other window glass in the same way.

In other embodiments of the windshield molding of the present inventionshown in FIGS. 16 to 22, a windshield molding 5 is composed of the uppermolding section 5A, the side molding sections 5C and the curved cornermolding sections 5B which are formed continuously as a single molding byextrusion.

The windshield molding 5 in this embodiment is provided with the supportleg 52 and the decorative portion 51. A wire 53 of the core is buried inthe central portion of the support leg 52. A lip-shaped portion 54 whichholds the inside edge (i.e. the lower side) of the windshield glass 11and an elastic lip 55 which extends to and is pressed to the walls ofthe body panels are provided on the inside edge (i.e. the lower side ofFIG. 17) of the support leg 52 throughout the entire length.

The height of the support leg 52 from the inside edge to the outsideedge (i.e. the vertical direction in FIG. 17) is gradually increasedfrom the corner molding section (see FIGS. 18 and 19) to the sidemolding section and reaches a maximum on the upper side of the sidemolding section (see FIG. 20), but after the maximum height ismaintained through the central area of the side molding section 5C, atthe lower area of the side molding section 5C the height of the supportleg 52 is gradually decreased (see FIGS. 21, 22, 23).

In other words, the thickness in the direction from the outside to theinside of the enlarged thickened section 52a on the support leg 52 isdecreased from the lower area to the lower end as the above-mentionedheight difference decreases.

The rainwater groove 58 provided on the side molding section 5C shown inFIGS. 17, 19, 20 and 21 is gradually changed in depth and widthcorresponding to the thickness of the enlarged thickened section 52a andthe rainwater groove 58 is discontinued at the specified position.

The rainwater groove 58 provided at the lower portion of the sidemolding section 5C, as shown in FIG. 21, is only the tip of thetriangle.

The following discussion explains the device for forming theabove-mentioned windshield molding 5.

As FIGS. 24 and 25 show, the molding forming unit 6 is fitted with threedies for forming an opening for extruding synthetic resin. These diesinclude a first die 61, second die 62 and third die 63 arranged in themolding extruding direction (i.e. a vertical direction on the paper).First die 61 is fixed and has an extrusion opening 64 to form thedecorative portion 51, the support leg 52 and the elastic lip 55 of thewindshield molding 5. The lower section of the extrusion open 64,equivalent to the lip-shaped portion 54 of the windshield molding 5, isprovided with a large rectangular opening including the above portion54.

The above-mentioned extrusion opening 64 consists of an extrusionopening 641 for the decorative portion 51, an extrusion opening 642 forthe support leg 52 and an extrusion opening 643 for the elastic lip 55.The extrusion opening 641 is covered with a bow-shaped upper portioncorresponding to the upper edge of the decorative portion of thewindshield molding 5. In addition, the extrusion opening 642 is shapedlike the enlarged thick section 52a of the support leg 52 without therainwater groove 58 and is connected to the extrusion opening 641.

Second die 62 and third die 63 are made of plate and are supported withpairs of guides, 62a, 62a and 63a, 63a respectively so as to move inparallel with the front of first die 61. The extrusion opening 65 ofsecond die 62 is shaped so as to correspond to the lower portion of thesupport leg 52 of the windshield molding 5, and the lip-shaped portion54. In addition, dies 61 and 62 are aligned so that an open area of thesecond die 62 provided at the upper side of the section corresponding tothe support leg 52 is connected to the section corresponding to theenlarged thickened section 52a in the extrusion opening 64 of the firstdie 61.

A connection rod 62b is provided at the lower edge of second die 62 andis connected to the drive motor 62c through the converter which convertsrotary motion to linear motion. The driving force of the drive motor 62creciprocates second die 62 between the molding position of the uppermolding section shown in FIG. 24 and the molding position of the sidemolding section shown in FIG. 25.

Third die 63 is installed so as to reciprocate in the directionperpendicular to second die 62, and the connecting rod 63b provided atthe left end of third die 63 is connected to the drive motor 63c throughthe converter which converts rotary motion to linear motion. Atriangular shielding lug 631 is formed at the right tip of third die 63so as to correspond to the rainwater groove 58 of the above-mentionedwindshield molding 5. The shielding lug 631 of third die 63 ispositioned so as to enter the extrusion opening 64 of first die 61 andis designed to reciprocate in interlocking relationship with thereciprocating motion of second die 62.

The following discussion explains the production method of thewindshield molding 5 with the above-mentioned molding extruder 6:

When the extrusion is started from the lower end of the side moldingsection 5C, said first die 61 and second die 62 are held in a certainpositional relationship as shown in FIG. 24 and third die 63 is broughtto the withdrawal position. Upon extrusion of the lower area of the sidemolding section 5C, second die 61 is pushed downward causing theextrusion opening 642 of first die 61 to enlarge and the thickness ofthe enlarged thick section 52a to increase, and third die 63 starts tomove forward. However, sections other than the enlarged thickenedsection 52a maintain the same sectional form. At the same time, as thethird die 63 moves forward, the depth and width of the rainwater groove58 both increase proportional to the additional thickness of theenlarged thickened section 52a. At this time, third die 63 moves in aninterlocking manner with second die 62.

When the side section 5C is extruded to a certain length and in acertain sectional form maintaining first die 61, second die 62 and thirddie 63 in a constant position with respect to each other and the formingposition of the corner molding section 5B approaches, the second die 62is pushed upward, and third die 63 starts to withdraw causing theextrusion opening 642 of first die 61 to be reduced and the thickness ofthe enlarged thickened section 52a to be decreased. At the same time, asthe third die 63 withdraws, the depth and width of the rainwater groove58 both decrease in proportion to the thickness reduction of theenlarged thickened section 52a. At this time, third die 63 movesinterlockingly with second die 62. When the corner molding section 5B iscompletely extruded, second die 62 and third die 63 reach the positionshown in FIG. 24.

In other words, when the third die 63 retreats and leaves the extrusionopening 642 of first die 61, the rainwater groove 58 is no longer formedin the enlarged thick section 52a of the support leg 52, and the wholeextrusion opening is shaped so as to correspond with the sectional formof the upper molding section 5A. Then, the upper molding section 5Astarts being extruded in a certain sectional form. When the uppermolding section 5A is extruded to a certain length, a corner moldingsection 5B and a side molding section 5C are formed in the reverse orderof the above, and the complete windshield molding 5 is produced.

Industrial Applicability

The present invention is applicable to all types of windshield moldingsfor automobiles with rainwater grooves and is suitable to produce thewhole windshield molding as a single molding without requiringadditional cutting or other processes.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:
 1. A windshield molding for vehicles having anupper molding section and a side molding section to be fitted along theperiphery of the windshield glass fitted into the window frame openingof the body panel and further including a corner molding sectioninterconnecting the upper molding section and the side molding section,said windshield molding comprising:a support leg located between theperiphery of said windshield glass and an inner edge of the window frameopening of the body panel, a decorative portion provided on the outsideedge of the support leg to cover-said space from the outside, saidsupport leg having an enlarged thickened section along the side moldingsection and a rainwater groove opening to the inner periphery of thewindshield molding, wherein said decorative portion has a outer contourextending throughout the entire length of the windshield molding and isprojected outwards apart from the windshield glass surface at leastalong a part of the side molding section, said enlarged thickenedsection is located between the decorative portion and an outer surfaceof the windshield glass, said enlarged thickened section increasing inheight from said corner molding section and extending along said sidemolding section with a substantially uniform height to a lower portionof the side molding section, said enlarged thickened sectionadditionally completely surrounding upper and lower ends of therainwater groove, and said rainwater groove is provided in the enlargedthickened section of said support leg wherein a depth of the groove ischanged along a longitudinal axis of the windshield molding.
 2. Awindshield molding according to claim 1, wherein the rainwater groove isdiscontinued at the lower area of the side molding section.
 3. Awindshield molding according to claim 1 wherein the groove depth isgradually reduced from the side molding to the corner molding section.4. A windshield molding according to claim 3, wherein the rainwatergroove is discontinued at the corner molding section.
 5. A windshieldmolding according to claim 4, wherein the projection distance of thedecorative portion from the windshield glass surface is graduallyreduced from the side molding section to the corner molding section. 6.A windshield molding according to claim 1, wherein the windshieldmolding has a pair of side molding sections fitted along the peripheryof both sides of the windshield glass.
 7. A windshield molding accordingto claim 1, wherein the windshield molding has a lip shaped leg whichholds the inside edge of the windshield glass.
 8. A windshield moldingfor vehicles having an upper molding section and a side molding sectionto be fitted along the periphery of the windshield glass fitted into thewindow frame opening of the body panel and further including a cornermolding section interconnecting the upper molding section and the sidemolding section, said windshield molding comprising:a support leginserted into a space between the periphery of said windshield glass andan inner edge of the window frame opening of the body panel, adecorative portion provided on the outside edge of the support leg tocover said space from the outside, and a rainwater groove opening to theinner periphery of the windshield molding, wherein said rainwater grooveis provided at a central portion of the side molding section, saidsupport leg along the side molding section having an enlarged thickenedsection, said enlarged thickened section increasing in height from saidcorner molding section and along said side molding section, saidenlarged thickened section additionally completely upper and lower endsof the rainwater groove.
 9. A windshield molding according to claim 8,wherein the groove depth is changed in the longitudinal direction of thewindshield molding.
 10. A windshield molding according to claim 8,wherein the groove opening width is changed in the longitudinaldirection of the windshield molding.
 11. A windshield molding accordingto claim 8, wherein the rainwater groove extends from an upper area to acenter area of the side molding section.
 12. A windshield moldingaccording to claim 8, wherein the groove depth is gradually reduced fromthe side molding section to the corner molding section.
 13. A windshieldmolding according to claim 12, wherein the rainwater groove isdiscontinued at the corner molding section.
 14. A windshield moldingaccording to claim 13, wherein the projection distance of the decorativeportion from the windshield glass surface is gradually reduced from theside molding section to the corner molding section.
 15. A windshieldmolding according to claim 8, wherein the windshield molding has a pairof side molding sections fitted along the periphery of both sides of thewindshield glass.
 16. A windshield molding according to claim 8, whereinthe windshield molding has a lip shaped leg which holds the inside edgeof the windshield glass.
 17. A windshield molding according to claim 8,wherein the decorative portion is projected outwards apart from thewindshield glass surface at least along the section having the rainwatergroove.
 18. A windshield molding according to claim 17, wherein saiddecorative portion has a constant cross-sectional form throughout theentire length.
 19. A windshield molding according to claim 1 wherein atleast part of the thickened section has a substantially uniform heightand thickness and said height is substantially equal to said thickness.20. A windshield molding according to claim 5, wherein the windshieldmolding has a pair of side molding sections fitted along the peripheryof both sides of the windshield glass.
 21. A windshield moldingaccording to claim 5, wherein the windshield molding has a lip shapedleg which holds the inside edge of the windshield glass.
 22. Awindshield molding according to claim 14, wherein the windshield moldinghas a pair of side molding sections fitted along the periphery of bothsides of the windshield glass.
 23. A windshield molding according toclaim 14, wherein the windshield molding has a lip shaped leg whichholds the inside edge of the windshield glass.